Second Republic of Gishoto
The year after the 2309 elections the "People's Socialist" out of the People's Socialist Republic of Gishoto was dropped and it was simply renamed the Republic of Gishoto; the Imperial Hulstrian Party attempted to bring back the Monarchy during this period with Hulstrian support but the Left-Wing Coalition prevented this from happening voting down the change. The Left-Wing Coalition also moved towards excluding the monarchists in a cabinet proposal shortly after the vote. History Republic of Gishoto continued to play an important role in the new Republic and was an active voice on the opposition bench]] The Republic of Gishoto was established as the successor state to the People's Socialist Republic of Gishoto in the "Act of Republic" following the Phonix Conference in May 2310. The new nation kept on the Gishoto name for the new state; debate over an entirely new name was put aside for the sake of eliminating of the communist state. At the time of the establishment of the new Republic the Saints Alliance and the Refuge Pressure Party, along with the Socialist Party, maintained a super majority in the government. The KHP under Konsort Strauss struggled with low representation in the Supreme Soviet (now named the Central Diet) but would surge back in numbers later on in the next election. The Refuge Pressure Party proposed two months after the elections a new cabinet government. Instead of attempting to unify the nation following the end of communism the RRP proposed a Left-Wing Coalition cabinet, kicking out the monarchists, and placing the administration of the new Republic in their hands. The power play angered the KHP and pushed the Hulstrian-Welsh divide at the time even further. Some had felt it was culturally wrong for a Welsh to assume the Head of Government position in the new cabinet, a person who was not even born in the Republic. The super majority of the RRP, Saints Alliance, and the Socialists prevented though Konsort Strauss bringing the issue up of its constitutionality. The Republic was met with open arms by many in the country who were relieved to see the fall of the Christian Communists but there were some who were not so enthusiastic about the new dawn the nation was entering. Gao-Showa leftists in particular were vehemently opposed to the new government but had little impact legislatively because of the implosion of the CCP, their main outlet. Some Gao-Showa did register under the Socialist Party though more radical Gao-Showa stayed underground, plotting to try to overthrow the Republic. One such plot to attempt to overthrow the Republic, or at least create unrest in the country, was uncovered before the February 2312 general elections. Political investigation records and documents uncovered revealed that Gao-Showan communists plotted to attack the Kiennese Subway System and drive a truck filled with explosives into Fliederbrunn Palace. Discussions showing they also planned to assassinate opposition leaders were also uncovered. These plots were never achieved and many of the consiprators were arressted. These revalations created further distrust of the Gao-Showa and their true intentions in the new Republic, especially within the circles of the KHP.Hulstrians had already widely distrusted the Gao-Showa, accusing them of wanting to bring out chaos and disorder. The "inferior" terrorist plots, as Konsort Strauss put it, widened the divide between the two cultures even more, and pushed Konsort Strauss to take on a more anti Gao-Showan attitude. The public backlash to the plots pushed the Gao-Showa back into mediocrity, even the ones who were considered more moderate that wanted a fair voice for their group in the legislature as well. It would not be until the creation of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party where the more centrist and less radical Gao-Showan would be able to be represented. ]] Along with the end of the People's Socialist Republic and the absence of communist parties in the government also brought up great cultural debate about the future of the country. The end of the CCP closed the outlet many leftist Gao-Showa used to express their political views and while some did migrate to the Saints Alliance, the majority of them remained out of the political process for some years until the rise of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party. The Gao-Showa's absence provided an opportunity for the Hulstrians to regain control of the government and reinstall the "cultural majority" that was taken away from the Communist Party of Gishoto. The arrival of the Welsh and the Saints Alliance opposition to the KHP however prevented cultural changes in favor of the Hulstrian people. Political power would continue to be in the favor of the Left-Wing Coalition and the Welsh, ecspially following the February 2312 general elections, the first national election since the fall of the People's Socialist Republic. The Imperial Hulstrian Party would make a strong showing in the elections, taking in 180 seats total to become the largest party but failed to capture the Head of State office. The office was instead won by Welsh Wali Thomas of the Refuge Pressue Party; the respective parties in the Left-Wing Coalition individually didn't have a strong showing but combined still made up a majority of the legislature. The election of Thomas garnered mixed emotions; others saw it as a landmark victory while some saw it as a cultural smack in the face to Gishoto, traditionally occupied by Hulstrians and Gao-Showans. The Welsh shrugged off the dissent to much of the displeasure of the Hulstrian people. The KHP did not believe a Thomas administration would be good for the country, believing he'd used his new powers to try to wage war against Dranland. While the Thomas administration did not exactly wage war against the country, under his tenure Gishoto continued to pose as opposition to the Dranian government and the government officially condemned the Welsh Genocide a few months after his electoral victory. The vote to condemn the Welsh Genocide was greeted by scron by the Dranland government but no military confrontation would occur between the countries however tensions between the countries would be greatly intensified. The tensions would reach a boiling point a decade later in the 2320s. Wali Thomas' tenure as Head of State was relatively quiet despite the tensions with Dranland. The only major accomplishment achieved under his tenure was the abolishment of Gishoto's nuclear stockpile. His move to make Gishoto a nuclear weapon free country was greeted kindly by international observers but domestically both parties and the people had mixed thoughts on the issue. Thomas would go onto be defeated in a special election called in August of 2314. Cultural purists and other citizens, unhappy with his legislative agenda, were able to tople Thomas. Konsort Strauss executed a vigerous campaign against Thomas and for the office of Premier; the KHP were successfully able to cut a hold within the parliamentary numbers of the Refuge Pressure Party and gained some new seats for their own party at the same time. The KHP earned 63 seats in the special election, becoming the largest party in the legislature with over 240 seats, or 33%. The RPP lost 15 seats on top of the office of Premier; Thomas failed to even register in the first round of Premier voting being beaten by Konsort Strauss and Blair Edwards. Despite the KHP's gain in the legislature and Konsort Strauss' campaign for Premier, Edwards was able to very narrowly defeat Strauss in the second round of voting. This very surprising victory brought in the sixth time Edwards won the office of Head of State in 20 years and the second Head of State of the new Republic. The long time enemy of the Strauss sneaked out another victory and in all respects continued the rule of the Left-Wing Coalition in the political sphere of the Republic. The Radiant Eight Years The period between the election of Blair Edwards as the 2nd Premier of Gishoto in 2314 and the ejection of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party from the Left-Wing Coalition by the Refuge Pressure Party in 2322 has been coined by historians as the "Radiant Eight Years", a time in Hulstrian history where the Left-Wing Coalition had near complete control in parliament. Great consequences would come out of these eight years by the actions of the political parties in the Republic that arguably would dicate the political sphere of Gishoto the next thirty years. In this period emerged the "Group of Four", a sub-group of the Left-Wing Coalition, that legislated major national and internationalist policy in these eight years. Comprised of cabinet members from the Saints Alliance and the Refuge Pressure Party, specifically from members from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and including both the Head of State and Government. The Radiant Eight Years would also see the revival of the Gao-Showa people in the national political scene with the birth of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party shortly after the 2314 general elections. These years would additionally see the transfer of power between Konsort Strauss to his son, Ludwig Strauss, to the leadership of the Imperial Hulstrian Party who remained still the sole monarchist party at the time in the Republic. The Gao-Showa People's Party arose after the election of the Saints Alliance's Blair Edwards. Two central factors lead to the formation of the Goa-Showa Peoples' Party, the first mainstream Gao-Showa political party in years. The first factor was the influx of migrants from the beyond the frontiers of the nation. The second factor was an increased demand from the Gao-Showa for better representation in national politics. Various movements started to spring up in the second decade of the 24th century seeking to do just this and eventually they came together as the party under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu was the head of the Gao-Showa Culture Society prior to entering national politics and a leading anti-communist figure in the Gao-Showa community when most favored the communist rule under the Christian Communists. Ieyasu before coming to lead the Gao-Showa Culture Society lived in exile in Mordusia, coming back to the country when his father, the head of the Clan Tokugawa, was assassinated by secret agents of the Christian Communist Party because of his opposition to the government. The wake of the "Second Revolution", brought on by the CCP's efforts to loosen religious regulations, also prompted Ieyasu to return. Tokugawa Ieyasu was greatly hurt by the assassination of his father and vowed to avenge his father's death. He eventually became the leader of an underground resistance movement to the Christian Communist Party and engaged in various illegal activites, including acts of terrorism. By the arrival of the 2280s Ieyasu was a wanted felon and considered an outcast by the mainstream political sphere. Even the Imperial Hulstrian Party declined to work or engage in communications in them due to their terrorist ties (and also due to their republican sympathies). In one attempt in 2281 Ieyasu led a tactical group of resistance members to try to destroy a nuclear power plant in Kuratha. The attempt failed and Ieyasu was jailed, sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tokugawa Ieyasu was surprisingly pardoned in 2287 by Blair Edwards of the Saints Alliance. His time in prison greatly changed him; Ieyasu's violent ways to avenge his father was put behind him and he went onto become a leading pacifist but continued his anti-communist sentiment. He went onto become a figure of anti-communism within his community, peacefully protesting the CCP. The Christian Communists, before they fell in 2309, attempted to have Ieyasu tried for treason on charges of illegal activity but failed to throw him back into jail. The seeds of the creation of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party were planted with the end of the Christian Communists and collapse of Communism. As noted the influx of Gao-Showa immigrants from eastern Dovani and a slow increase in population numbers for the Gao-Showa also helped the establishment of the party. When Edwards was elected in 2314 and the Left-Wing Coalition had secured a supermajority over the monarchist KHP, members of the Gao-Showa Culture Society held a private convention to shape the foundation of the GSPP. It was not until though 2316 when the GSPP formally registered as a national political party and became a member of the Left-Wing Coalition. This new republican party added to the overall power of the Coalition especially after their showing in the 2317 general elections, earning nearly 100 seats. The addition of the GSPP secured for the next half decade the rule of the Left-Wing Coalition and the GSPP were quickly included in the national cabinet by the Refuge Pressure Party, impressed with their leftist leanings but included them more to increase their own power and keep the KHP in the minority. Much of the GSPP's initial legislation was defeated though they were able to pass one bill concerning health policy. Surprisingly the bill was very conservative and called for downsizing the national healthcare program to allow private sector companies to get involved. The bill passed with support from Konsort Strauss but the GSPP's fellow Left-Wing Coalition members voted against it. The health care bill would become a template for the next several years concerning the voting patterns of the parties; more and more the Gao-Showa People's Party and the Imperial Hulstrian Party began to join together in passing federalist, centre-right legsialation in defiance of the Left-Wing Coalition. The RPP moved to repeal any passed legislation but members of the Saints Alliance, primarily Blair Edwards, opted out of attacking the GSPP for their centre-right views on the economy. Edwards wanted to keep the GSPP close to the Left-Wing Coalition and the Group of Four in particular needed the GSPP to pass constitutional amendments especially after the 2317 elections when the Left-Wing Coalition hit a blight in their power streak. Blair Edwards was defeated in the 2317 Premier elections in an upset victory to Piotr Piotrowski of the Anti-Nazi Party, a former ally of the Saints Alliance before they formed an alliance to side with the Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei a decade earlier. The Left-Wing Coalition parties, mainly the Refuge Pressure Party and the Saints, lost seats in the legislature but the Gao-Showa Peoples Party earned nearly 100 seats, savoring the majority of the Left-Wing Colaition in the legislature even if it was by a thin hair. Piotr Piotrowski's win was a victory for the KHP controlled opposition but Left-Wing Coalition was not defeated entirely by the election, historians count Piotr Piotrowski's term as more of a turning point of the Radiant Eight Years than a decisive blow to the left-wing. In an attempt to hold onto the majority, leaders of the RPP behind the scenes tried to get Tokugawa Ieyasu to allign more to the Left-Wing Coalition with concerns to their voting record after the election; Ieyasu's constant siding with the opposition on bills worried the hardliners in the coalition. Some had suggested to put more pressure on Ieyasu but the Saints Alliance and the RPP decided against it in the end. They became aware very quickly that the Left-Wing Coalition parties needed the Gao-Showa Peoples Party more than the Gao-Showa Peoples Party needed the Left-Wing Coalition. The Gao-Showa Peoples Party began passing legislation without blessing from the Group of Four; one such bill was the "Bao Misaki Infrastructure Reform Act" in late 2317 which called for more federalist and privatisation policy on housing and energy issues. The Refuge Pressure Party quickly opposed the bill but the Saints Alliance abstained, sticking to their policy of not publically opposing the GSPP for the sake of keeping the Left-Wing Coalition in power. The party brass at the RPP would also go onto oppose a resolution on reforming agricultural subsidies to give local governments more power to decide on funding; the agricultural subsidies act was also proposed by Tokugawa Ieyasu and supported by the Imperial Hulstrian Party. It became increasingly evident as the years went on that the Imperial Hulstrian Party and the Gao-Showa Peoples Party had much more in common concerning national policy than previously thought. Despite past tensions between the two ethnic groups, the leaders of the respective parties worked very well together in the legislature. Konsort Strauss had put aside his distrust of the Gao-Showa for a more workable relationship and to drive a nail in the power of the Left-Wing Coalition; Strauss knew that the Group of Four and the Refuge Pressure Party had little influence over the GSPP. The aging Duke of Strauss saw the potential of this divide and quietly plotted his moves with his vote he gave in favor of GSPP backed bills. The Chain of Leftist Politics Breaks The Refuge Pressure Party became increasingly upset over the voting patterns of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party towards the end of the Radiant Eight Years. The RPP were also angry over their cooperation with their rival the KHP and despite attempts to try to get the Gao-Showa Peoples Party in line with Left-Wing Coalition voting policy, the GSPP leadership ignored conforming to the cabinet coalition ways. Historians today often today debate who was more in the wrong in this situtation; some argue that the GSPP were acting stupidly going against the Left-Wing Coalition, the same party bloc who had given them the power in the cabinet while others argue the Welsh in the RPP overstepped their authority in trying to dictate the actions of this new political party. The Refuge Pressure Party were prevented from issuing a motion to try to oust the GSPP from the cabinet coalition under the tenure of Piotr Piotrowski because of Blair Edwards, still opting to leave the Gao-Showa People's Party alone. The Duke of Strauss suspected eventually that "chain of leftist politics" as he coined it would break and leave an opening for the KHP to return to government even if it was people of the Gao-Showa ethnic group, a group of people Strauss earlier widely distrusted for their anti-monarchy views. The boiling point was reached before the 2319 general elections; several proposals, including many constitutional amendment resolutions, were put forward by the Gao-Showa Peoples Party. While the Refuge Pressure Party would vote in favor in some of the amendments, such as changing the national motto, they went onto to oppose vehemently policy proposals proposed by the GSPP and supported by the Imperial Hulstrians. In one session of the legislature the leader of the Refuge Pressure Party went into a fit of rage when debating a member of the Gao-Showa Peoples Party, calling their devolution and private sector policies "bording treason" and "insanity". The public and the media offered mixed reactions but much of the voices were against what many considered barbaric language that was seen as not suited for post-communist Gishoto. The outburst weakened the Refuge Pressue Party in eyes of the public and they would go onto see the unique, de-facto alliance between the KHP and the GSPP see more gains. The KHP and the GSPP would go onto pass several landmark pieces of legislation concerning trade unions, the central bank, and minimum wages. Tokugawa Ieyasu went onto receive much support from the public on these resolutions while the Duke of Strauss remained in the backround for the most part. Ieyasu's success would come in form of a victory for both him and his party in the 2319 general elections. The GSPP captured in total 209 seats in the election, making them the largest party in the legislature next to the Imperial Hulstrian Party; the GSPP controlled nearly a quarter of the legislature following this election. The Premier elections resulted in Ieyasu beating the RRP and Blair Edwards, including the Duke of Strauss who went up against him in the second round of voting. In a surprise move the Gao-Showa Peoples Party shortly after the elections proposed a new cabinet not including the KHP but instead the RPP and the Saints Alliance; the new cabinet saw the GSPP gain some new cabinet posts and was seen more as a power play on Ieyasu's party to exert his authority over the Welsh party who had questioned him in the past. Despite the KHP being left out of the cabinet the Gao-Showa People's Party and the Imperial Hulstrian Party would continue to work together promoting free market policies. Refuge Pressure Party leadership were aware of this but did not react as they would've; the outburst on the floor of the legislature months earlier and the weak showing in the elections put them on the defensive. For the next two years the RPP worked behind the scenes to try to get the Saints Alliance and other parties to try to oust Ieyasu. The New Aristocracy Even Gao-Showan aristocrats, whose culture was marked by stanch republicanism, supported bringing back a constitutional monarchy. The part of the population was represented by the Gao-Showa Peoples' Party and was allied with the Imperial Hulstrians for some time. The two parties ]]would become formible in their opposition to the CCP and achieved having the Christian Communist Party remove the "Socialist" out of the "Socialist Republic of Gishoto". However despite the achievements the Gao-Showa Peoples' Party collapsed mysteriously, rendering the Imperial Hulstrian Party as the only conservative party in the new Republic of Gisoto. Battles between the outnumbered, IHP Diet Members and the Left Wing Coalition raged on in the Central Diet following the GSSP's collapse; the Imperial Hulstrian Party however did not tremble in the wake of losing their ally, instead the monarchist party went on to capture over 243 seats but failed though to capture the "Comrade Premier", the Head of State title during this time. The rise of the Gao-Showa Imperial Party would mark most of the political news after 2320 and up until 2371, there had been no major monarchist movements in the country; there was en effort however during the mid 2310s to made Hulstria into a Federation or "Federal Union" but that failed, and try to reconfigure the cultural landscape of the country. Rebirth of Hulstrian Nationalism Following their large defeat in the 2371 elections to Franz von Strauss and the Imperial Hulstrian Party, the Welsh republican Refuge Pressure Party disbanded. Much of their leadership returned to Dranland in attempt to start a new administration and contest the ruling Dranian political system. Their exit from the national political scene not only put the Welsh in Hulstria into obscurity but also set of a chain of events; shortly there after, Gishoto saw a large surge in immigration with thousands of refugees in Kalistan who fled the country after a political crisis there. The new arrivals soon took the political place of the Welsh and soon began to involve themselves in the government. Unlike the Welsh before them, these Kalistani refugees were welcomed by Hulstrians as they were very supportive of the return of the monarchy and a return to Hulstrian domination in the Republic. Strengthened by their new alliance with the Hulstrian Nationalist Party was born; founded by the former leaders of the Conservative Party of Kalistan along with other members of the Hulstrian aristocracy from Mitrania, the Hulstrian Nationalist Party quickly rose in prominence and as a close ally to the KHP. Operating mainly out of the Mitrania region, the HNP was the first major Hulstrian political establishment besides the KHP to enter the national political arena in decades. The new monarchist alliance early on put the pressure on contesting parties such as the Saints Alliance to much of the delight of the Hulstrian aristocracy who never had let go the Saint's betrayal to former KHP leader Konsort von Strauss years ago. The revival of monarchist sympathies and numerous electoral defeats, the Saints Alliance collapsed after the KHP and HNP delievered them a stunning defeat in their last election. The end of the Saints Alliance allowed the Imperial Hulstrians and Hulstrian Nationalists to for the first time in decades establishing an all Hulstrian and royalist government; Philip Strauss' dream of the return of the Hulstrian Empire was slowly coming together. Apartheid The Hulstrian Nationalist Party began a plan of racial segregation, called "Apartheid", dividing the nation into 3 ethnic groups: White, Colored, and Gishotoi. The leadership of the HNP believed that segregation would be the best way to prevent any further violence between the cultures in Gishoto though this only furthered tensions between the cultures and in modern times is not looked upon in a very positive view. Shortly though after Apartheid was pushed through by the Hulstrian Nationalists, the Anti-Nazi Party collapsed leaving Gishoto purely to the monarchist parties. Another major victory for the Hulstrian Monarchists was the election of the then pretender to the Hulstrian throne, Rudolph III, to the office of Archon, the Head of State of the Gishoto Republic becoming the first Hulstrian Emperor ever to be elected to public office. This astounding election lead to further mandate for the restoration of the Monarchy and Rudolph III along with the new royalists pounded through constitutional reform. Category:History of Dovani